I am thinking... that I love watching the Olympics, but I dislike watching the moment when some athletes lose. And the cameras always seem to zoom in on the precise moment of crushing defeat and the announcers get all emotional and prophetic. All of a sudden the loser is swarmed by a small herd of cameramen and given no amount of personal space at all. Case in point: when the Russian women's gymnastics team totally blew it in team competition. The cameramen had z.e.r.o. class.
I am thankful... that my husband's nephew, his wife and infant son were okay and their house was spared when a fast-moving wildfire came within a mile of where they live in Luther, OK. The heat and the wind has been relentless lately. There is word that it was arson - some idiot(s) were lighting newspaper on fire and throwing it into dry grass from the back of a pickup. I think over 50 homes burned in that fire.
From the Learning Rooms... I have been straightening up the schoolroom - it is *almost* ready for it's 'after' shot. I am winding down my third and final purge of education-related stuff that we will never use and decluttering as I go. I'm placing our curriculum order for this year later this morning and mapping out our schoolyear and planning our first term in September. Even though I am doing all of this, regular schoolwork continues for Rylan and Owen - just the basics: math, reading, phonics, spelling, science unit and Core. Those subjects are easy to keep up with, and are kind of on autopilot.
In the kitchen... made a pasta salad for a bbq we went to last night - super easy! Tricolor rotini, diced pepperjack cheese, halved grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber (from the garden), diced red and orange pepper and half a bottle of Kraft Tuscan Italian dressing. It was very yummy.
I am wearing... pj's!
I am creating... a laminated commission record sheet. (whaa?) you'll see...
I am going... back to the county fair today. We went yesterday, but didn't get to see everything - including my favorite - the open class exhibits. I love looking at the photography, quilts and produce. I will sneak out with Rylan, after the boys go down for nap, and leave Dean at home so that he can get in some quiet work time. We all win!
I am wondering... if I lived on a farm in my former life... because I just love everything about the county fair. It just feels so... real. Down-to-Earth people are my favorite people to be around.
I am reading... The Book of Summers: A Novel by Emylia Hall. I *just* picked this up at the library, so I haven't cracked it yet, but it looks pretty good. And the cover art is very pretty. Okay - I admit... that is why I picked it up in the first place!
From the garden.... (a new topic!) cucumbers are coming out our ears. I found a yummy recipe for refrigerator pickles that I may try. My little pumpkin patch now reminds of this character:
Attention little pumpkins! My name is not Seymour! My tomato patch continues to dwindle. I pulled three more plants this week because they were wilting and turning yellow. Thank goodness it seems to be affecting only one of the beds. I think my corn is just about ready to pick, and the potatoes need to be hilled up again.
I am looking forward to... my birthday this coming week! I turn 41 on the 8th. My mom is taking me and the kids to the Denver Botanical Gardens on the 7th - and I am really looking forward to that. I haven't been there since a friend of mine got married there, nine years ago.
I am learning... About an interesting organizational filing system from Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight. It seems like a big project to take on, but I am a sucker for all things organizational!
I am hearing... 'My Body', by Young the Giant. A new favorite from Dean's playlist of Alt & Indie Rock on Spotify
Around the house... Not much... these are the quiet weeks before the hustle of September comes. Jordan does not get back from OKC until next week. I am relishing a minimal schedule.
I am pondering... lots of little things that have a big importance in my life. Rylan's issues, keeping my emotions in check (the Zoloft is working wonders), the interpersonal dynamics that are continuing to plague me from the whole girl scout debacle, how to serve my kiddos better this year... that kind of stuff.
One of my favorite things... is going to the fair and watching the 4-H kids work with their animals. Such pride and accomplishment - you can see it in their faces! Great kids...
A few plans for the rest of the week... dentist appointment for me tomorrow (yuck), the botanical gardens (yay!), my birthday (yay!), and that's about it. No definitive plans for my birthday, but I am pretty sure they will follow my usual pattern... breakfast out with my dad and stepmom at Lucille's, something fun to do with the kids (probably go to the river and just relax), and dinner out with my mom, Dean and the kids, followed by birthday cake made by my mom (I vacillate between Mississippi Mud and Buster Bar - a cake with an oreo crust, ice cream layer and then a hot fudge/peanut topping, served frozen). Although I just might make the lamingtons that have been on my mental backburner all year.
Here is a picture for thought I am sharing...
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| A snail... |
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